My Seventh Year
by ValorOrgulloso
Summary: ABANDONED Lily's POV of her last year at Hogwarts. LilyJames
1. Swallows and a Word Game

Chapter 1: Swallows and a Word Game

I didn't always like him. Some could probably say, at one point in my life, that I loathed him. That I wanted to decapitate him and bury his head in the ground. That I wanted to peel the flesh off his bones with my bare hands. To this, he would probably reply, "As long as it's your hands doing it, dear Lily bud." Then I would yell some not very nice things back at him. Sometimes it would include words and phrases like "toerag," "arrogant, big-headed jerk," "ego-maniac," and "cocky git."

You're probably wondering what this man could have done to deserve these harsh words thrown at him in such an uncivilized manner. Well, I will tell you, as I am locked in this rut with no escape or freedom. I've decided to write. Yes, write. Since I won't be out of this safehold for quite some time, I have lots of spare time on my hands. And so I speak the words on paper about the man I love. Here, in our epic romance, a new flower blooms. And that flower was me.

I guess my story starts a little after my sixth year was over. I was seventeen and going into my final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

I was sitting in my living room watching the Muggle movie 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' when a tawny barn owl swooped right through the window. I rushed up from the couch to see what the poor owl had sent me.

I quickly grinned when I realized what it was. My Hogwarts letter had arrived. The bird nipped at my finger and I offered it a bit of the popcorn I had made. The owl ate it gratefully and flew back out the window.

I glanced back down at the letter, which had a seal with the letter "H" surrounded by the lion, serpent, badger, and bird. Each animal on the crest stood for one of the four houses that the students were separated into. The lion was for Gryffindor (I was in this house), the bird for Ravenclaw, the badger for Hufflepuff, and the snake for Slytherin.

I slowly opened my letter—it was thicker than others I had gotten— and I briefly wondered if I had gotten what I thought I had.

Turns out I did. On the first slip of paper, I read:

Miss Evans,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted as Head Girl this year. Meet the Head Boy in the Heads' compartment on the Hogwarts Express, first thing, and there will be a list of instructions of what the job requires. Congratulations, and remember, you are a role model for all the students in the school.

Deputy Headmistress

Minerva McGonagall

A shiny, silver badge slid out of the envelope, into my outstretched hand. It read, "HG" in gleaming letters.

The last piece of parchment was just the normal list of school supplies I had to get from Diagon Alley.

I went up to bed, forgetting about the movie I was watching, but still thinking of Hogwarts and European Swallows….

The next day my father and I headed off towards Madam Malkin's Robes, while my mother went to Flourish and Blotts to get my school books. This way, our trip wouldn't take as long as it would if we all went together to each place. I quickly got new robes fitted for me and paid for them. I then made my way over to Flourish and Blotts, hoping my mother wasn't too confused, since she was a Muggle.

I remember glancing through the window into the crowded shop and being absolutely revolted at the sight I saw.

There was my mother, alright. But she was talking to James Potter (aka the-man-I-used-to-call-a-cocky-arrogant-toerag). And they were talking with civilized tongues. James wasn't showing himself off, and he wasn't being egoistic, and my mum wasn't pissed off at him, as I normally would be. I mean, I got my temper from her! You'd think we would get angry about the same things. Like Potter, for instance.

I slowly forced myself to drag my feet towards the pair, squeezing through the many witches and wizards.

"Hey, Evans." James gave me the smile that won over so many hearts—and not necessarily only girls. My stomach squeamed a little, but I brushed it off, assuming James was making me feel nauseous, as usual.

"Potter," I replied stiffly, acting quite the opposite of how he was. I was frowning and being ice cold. I turned to my mother, completely ignoring him, and said, "Mum, we need to go to the potions place to get some more ingredients for Hogwarts."

"Oh, alright, Lily, stop being in such a hurry," my mum said, a little annoyed. "And nice to meet you, James, dear. Thank you for all of your help." My mother smiled warmly at him.

James said, "No problem," and walked away. I could swear I heard him say something like, "see ya, hot stuff," as he left, but I couldn't be positive if it was my imagination or not. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

I dragged my mother to the counter, and we made our purchases, then left.

"So you know that boy?" My mother interrogated me, as we stepped out into the busy street.

"Unfortunately, yes," I said in a flat tone.

"Why the attitude, Lily Kelly? He seems like a very polite, well mannered boy. He helped me with finding the books, you know. Wouldn't have gotten them, otherwise." I was disgusted with my mother. Fawning over James Potter like he was some kind of royal prince. Which, I could tell you then, he was not.

"You might think that NOW, but if you REALLY knew what it, as in Potter, was like, you wouldn't be singing flowers and daisies. Though maybe lilies…." I muttered the last part to myself but my mother heard it, nonetheless.

"So this boy has a crush on you?" My mother was doing it again. Interrogating, I mean.

"No," I answered. "He just is a showoff and asks me out for attention. He doesn't like me."

"Well, he can't be that bad if he made Head Boy this year," my mother reasoned.

I choked on the air I was breathing. I wanted to scream. Or run. Anything to save me from the freak attack that was happening inside of me. Correction, the nightmare. I would have to spend all year with James i Flippin' /i Potter. It was a sickening thought. The very idea wanted to make me puke. But then, I thought, it would be better if I was able to befriend Potter, instead of… ahem… releasing a little pent-up anger on him.

So on the Hogwarts Express, I found a compartment to put my trunk and owl in. I then walked down the corridor of the train with my sparkling badge resting upon my chest. I slid the Heads' compartment door open and was surprised to see James already sitting there, reading the lists of duties, instructions, and rules.

"Lily," James said, looking up when I entered.

"I see you've made Head Boy," I said, gritting my teeth. 'If I want to be his friend, so I won't be miserable for the rest of the year, I had better start now', I thought. "Congratulations." I put on a big, forced smile and sat across from him.

"Surprised?" James asked. "I was sure that Moon—Remus would have made it. I mean, I wasn't even a Prefect." James smiled, and I could tell his wasn't forced.

'Erm, yeah.' I was surprised. "Can I see those lists?" I asked a bit awkwardly. James was staring at me. He tended to do that a lot.

"Oh… I mean, yeah!" James seemed to come back to his senses after ogling at my face for the past ten hours. Giving him a look, I took the list from him and scanned it. The list, not the insufferable 'it' that was sitting in front of me.

"It says here that we have to patrol the corridors every other night and that we hand these schedules out to the Prefects when we go meet them in 10 minutes." I placed the pile matter-of-factly onto my lap and stared out at the passing hills of green.

"I was reading it before you came in, and it also said that we have our own Heads' quarters," James told me.

"That's nice. I never knew Head Boy and Girl got privileges like that," I said. I snapped my attention to my watch and it read, "11:34 AM." It was magic powered, so it worked in Hogwarts. "Oh, shoot! We need to get to the Prefects compartment!"

We both jumped up at the same time, resulting in running into each other, and falling back into our seats. We started laughing after a moment of a few "ows."

"Ladies first," James said, gesturing with his arms for me to get up.

"Okay," I smiled. And this time, the smile was real. I tried to cover it up before he could see it, not wanting him to think I was smiling at him. Which I was.

I got up and went across to the Prefects' compartment, James right behind me. We stumbled into the crowded space to see many students with silver pins on their robes.

"As you might already know," I started nervously to the fifth, sixth, and seventh years. I never WAS good at public speaking. Even if it was in front of a small group like this one. I preferred to sing. When I sang, it was like no one was around me, I was in my own little happy world. One time Professor Slughorn (the Potions Master) heard me humming in class during first year and insisted that I sing at his Christmas party he held every year. I have sung at that party every year since I was eleven. "My name is Lily Evans, and this is—"

"James Potter," he cut in, confidently. He, quite unlike me, was comfortable with talking in front of people. "And we are your Head Boy and Girl."

"Here are your patrolling schedules," I said, handing each Prefect a piece of paper. Gaining more confidence in my speech I told them all, "There is a meeting every Sunday at seven thirty PM in the Transfiguration classroom. There, you can ask any questions or give any suggestions you have. Any rule breaking from you is not tolerated lightly, because you are the role models for all the students in the school." I finished, quoting what McGonagall wrote in the letter. "Comprende?"

A few people nodded their heads.

"Good. You may leave if you wish to go back to other compartments," James said. Most people got up and left, while a few others stayed. James and I got up and went back to the Heads' compartment, for we had to stay at least half the trip.

We sat back down in the compartment, and I sighed. "Would you like to play a game to pass the time?" I asked him, figuring my game would be a good way to get to know him. I really hadn't the faintest idea who James Potter really was. But I assumed he was a bit cocky.

"Sure. How do you play?" James seemed sincerely interested. It was sweet, in a weird way.

"Well," I said brushing my shoulder length, red hair out of my eyes. "I was thinking of a game where one of us begins by saying a word that relates to us in some way that starts with the letter, 'a'. It can be friends, interests, places, anything, really. One could say something like 'apple', then the next person would say, 'apple, basketball', then, 'apple, basketball, character', and so on. When somebody messes it up or misses a word, they lose. Want to play?"

James shrugged and said, "Okay. I'll start." He looked thoughtful for a moment then said, "Animagus." I looked questioningly at him, but he avoided my eyes.

I went on, "Animagus, boats." My family and I went on boat rides on our family boat ever since I was four years old. We would fish and have lots of fun. At least until I found out I was a witch at eleven. My older sister, Petunia, hated me for it. I stole her spotlight in our family. We have never been the same since I received my first Hogwarts letter.

"…boats, Chudley Cannons," James went on, taking me out of my thoughts. And so we went on in that manner for a while. We learned a lot about each other that day. Just playing that game a few times. It was just one step closer to not hating Potter. We were so into talking and laughing, we didn't even noticed that we could go back to our compartments, so we just kept rambling on.

I saw a new James Potter that day. Not the showoff, cocky, arrogant boy I once knew, but a man, mature and sweet.

Author Notes:

Voile! Or however the saying goes. Hope you LOVED the first chapter!

European Swallows-- They talk about these in 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail.'


	2. The Slimy, Interrogating Wankers

Chapter 2: The Slimy, Interrogating Wankers

When we came into view of the castle, I jumped up, surprised that it was already night.

"I really should get back to my compartment so I can change," I said, heading out.

"Hey, Lily?" James called after me as I headed down the aisle towards my compartment. I turned around to face him.

"Yeah?" I called back.

"Thanks." Then James disappeared into one of the compartments. I gave a little half-smile and went off to find my best friend, Lauren Piducci. Lauren had beautiful, long, dark hair, and stunning purple eyes. She was lively and fun and all the boys at Hogwarts—well not all of them, but quite a bit—bowed at her feet.. I used to envy her all the time, even though she didn't get great marks on homework and sometimes bent the rules.

As I entered our compartment, Lauren looked up at me, along with two other girls in our year. They were twins with short, blonde hair and blue eyes, Resa and Nicole Graham, from Ravenclaw. They weren't all that attractive, but they had their positives.

"Oh, hey, Laur, Resa, Nicole," I said, nodding to them.

"Hey, Lils," Lauren said as I sat down beside her. "Where have you been? Does Head Girl have to stay up there the entire ride?"

"No, I just lost track of time," I replied without thinking.

"Why?" Resa asked. She was quite the gossiper, always sniffing out the latest hot news. She and Nicole were cousins of Bertha Jorkins, another little ferret. Resa was also known for crushing over James Potter our third year. She would soon find out where I had been, I knew, so I just decided to tell half the truth. At least, I tried to.

"Oh, um… you know, we were just talking, and we were so caught up in it, the time just whizzed by," I said, hoping to satisfy the twins (Nicole was almost as bad as Resa). But, oh no, Nicole was thirsty for more.

"So… who is this 'we' you speak of?" she asked. She was very interested, I might add. I hate being interrogated. That was what my mother did, and I got quite enough of that at home. I thought when I went to school I would be free from the wrath, but no, we have plastics like the Grahams to do my mother's biddings.

I said his name so quietly no one understood me. Except Lauren. She could read my lips. Heck, Lauren knew more about me than I did.

She squealed and yelled, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" I gave her a little grin that said, "guilty as charged."

The Grahams, of course, were confused as ever and asking, "Who? Who?" Bloody interrogators….

"Oh, Merlin! I thought I would never live to see the day. James Potter? You? Speaking to him? Enjoying yourself? I must be going insane! And he was the one made Head Boy? This is bizarre! Absolutely ludicrous!" Lauren said this all very fast in a very wild manner. She waved her hands in the air while Resa gaped at me. She actually looked a bit pissed off. Served her right, the slimy, interrogating wanker.

"James Potter? You like him now?" Resa eyed me suspiciously.

"Hell, no!" I yelped, disgusted with that thought. At least I was almost disgusted. "I'm just trying to get along with him so duties won't completely murder me or make me lose my mind. Potter tends to do that to people."

"Yeah, but talking to him for seven hours…" Lauren smirked.

"Just drop it," I said, a blush slowly creeping up my neck. I hoped they would mistake my red complexion for anger, not embarrassment.

I didn't mean to talk to him for seven hours straight, okay? It just turns out that James Potter is a very involved person. Is that a crime? It wasn't like I actually likedtalking to him. I just thought our topics of discussion were very interesting. 'Yeah, right,' a voice inside my head said. Or was it my heart? 'Shut up,' I told it firmly.

Changing the subject, top speed, I said, "So, how were your summers?"

"Mine was a bit too loud, if you catch my drift. You know how it is at my house…" Lauren trailed off. Indeed, I did know how it was at Lauren's house. Lauren lived with eight brothers and sisters. She was the third to oldest out of the lot. Three of her little siblings went to Hogwarts as well. It was a bit hectic at her place, as you can obviously guess. "How was yours?"

"It was alright, except for Petunia," I answered. There was an awkward pause.

"Shall we get changed, then?" Nicole asked, breaking the tension filled silence.

"Yeah," Resa said, still obviously annoyed about the James thing.

After the sorting and the stuffing of our faces, Lauren and I got up from the long, narrow Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.

"I have to go up to the Heads' dorms. I can't sleep in the Gryffindor Tower anymore. Sorry," I apologized sincerely.

"Eager to meet up with lover boy again?" Lauren teased me smartly.

"Ew, no. Don't even think thoughts like that. See you tomorrow at breakfast, though!" I added, as we parted at the marble staircase. "I have to go this way," I explained again.

She nodded and we headed on our different routes. When I got to the statue of Ava the Average, I squeezed her stone nose, and the statue moved aside, revealing a large, wooden door. I pushed it open and stepped inside.

It looked a lot like the Gryffindor common room, except smaller and with less furniture. It had a merry fire crackling in the fire place, despite the fact that it was still summer. There were two doors at opposite ends of the room with gold plates on them. On the right the gold plaque read, 'LILY EVANS,' while the left one said, 'JAMES POTTER.'

I walked into my room and gasped. It was my room. Just like my room from home, only in different colors—Gryffindor colors (red and gold).

My book collection and my dresser were there, not to mention my desk and big, comfy bed. I looked in the dresser to find none of my Muggle clothes, except for the few I had packed, and a load of witches' robes.

I smiled in wonder as I undressed to change. Just as I was about to pull on my pajama bottoms, the door opened. I screamed and covered myself with my arms and hands. "GET OUT, POTTER!" I shrieked.

He quickly covered his face with his hands and backed from the room. I slammed the door in his face, finished changing into my pajamas, and hopped into bed as fast as I could. One word was running through my head as I fell asleep: 'pervert.'

_A/N _from like 2 years after this was originally posted. I was reading through this story like 2 minutes ago when I got to this chapter and decided to ramble about the first few chapters a little. When I first wrote the story's first chapters, I was 12 (I wrote it in March of 2006 when I was in 7th grade). Now I'm going to be a sophomore, and I'm over 2 years older. I realize now how ridiculous this story is and was. It's cheesy, awkward, and doesn't really have any great, intellectual moments, nor does it have a plot. I'm not saying that I'm going to go back and fix any of these "problems", but I'll just leave them as they are so I can come back and reminisce on how it was good back then, when I thought I was amazing at writing, and how I thought everyone else on this site was amazing at writing, too. Check out my newer stuff, I guess :) I try to hold back on the cheese factor now, but I can't help but have slipup occasionally.


	3. Chapter 3: Patrols and a New Friend

**Chapter 3: Patrols and a New Friend**

When I woke up the next morning, I got ready for class and rushed into the Heads' common room, hoping to get out before James made an appearance.

Too late.

James was standing by the entrance to the corridor a bit awkwardly. When he saw me, he started fidgeting nervously. Well, that would make sense, because I have been a little… 'violent' in the past with him. It would make anyone fidget. But I've only used a bit of violence….

I walked slowly towards him. I stopped when I was two feet away, an eyebrow raised in question. He'd better start talking soon, or else I might just use some pent up anger I've been holding in just for him since the last day of sixth year.

He fidgeted a bit more, adjusting his shoulder bag, and then started, "Evans… I _really_ didn't mean to, erm, walk in on you like that. I just wanted to see if your room was anything like the one I had. Like the one you have at home. I'm truly sorry, and in the future I promise to knock. Please forgive me?"

James stuck out his right hand and looked so hopeful that I smiled a bit, but I covered it up pretty fast. I couldn't let him see me smiling at _him_. It would just fill his already puffy head with more ideas. I'm surprised it hasn't exploded yet. His head, I mean.

As I fought viciously to keep my face as straight as possible, I shook his hand. "Alright, then. And remember to knock!" James grinned in relief. The smile he held on his face wasn't full of its usual arrogance. Maybe James really _was_ being sincere, for once in his life….

"And, James?" I called after him as he exited the wooden door. He turned around.

"Yeah, Evans?"

"Please, call me Lily," I answered to his questioning gaze.

He smiled again, and I felt a twitch—no flutter—in my stomach. It was the same feeling I had felt in Diagon Alley when I saw him in Flourish and Blotts. Was I really nauseous? Then James turned and walked away.

A few minutes later, I realized I was just standing there, the Heads' door wide open, thinking about what just happened. That was the second encounter with James Potter in one day, and he hadn't asked me out yet. His average was about four times a day. Sometimes he even asked me to marry him. That'swhere my violence came into the picture. Maybe he _was_ growing up. I grinned stupidly to myself and quickly walked off to breakfast.

After classes were over at four o'clock, I flumped myself down against the stone wall, with Lauren, in the Charms corridor.

"We have so much homework to do! And we haven't even had a normal class yet! I mean, all we did today was listen to lectures about how our N.E.W.T.'s are very important, and they base the rest of our lives off them." Lauren was grumpy. She _hated_ homework. I know, most people hate homework, but it was like a phobia to Lauren. The only reason she got half of it done was because I helped her with it. I rather enjoyed homework, actually.

What Lauren was really good at was swimming and Quidditch. In second year there was a swimming competition in the lake. The participants had to swim across and back. Lauren beat every single person by at least five minutes, including all the older students. She was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team (go figure) and played Keeper. All these things kept her in great shape. I was jealous of her from time to time. I had _no_ talent in the art of athletics, while Lauren had a forklift full.

"Yeah, it stinks because I have Head duties, too! There will barely be any time to finish it!" I spoke out warilyE. I took my bag off of my shoulder. _OOMPH_ . "Let's get started now on the three reports due tomorrow, and then if we finish we can do the three foot essay that's due next week."

"Okay, Lily," Lauren yawned. "Whatever, you say." Lauren always listened to me when we talked about homework.

We headed off towards the library to get started on our mound of homework. What were our professors thinking, giving us all that homework? Did they just want to kill us slowly with the overload, so we were mentally incapable of doing any job in the future that requires using a brain? All the work they gave us could have made us go crazy. I'm pretty sure Lauren and I were close to it a few times.

By seven forty-five Ewe had finished all three reports and started on the long essay. My watch went off, suddenly, and I jumped up and said, "I have patrols at eight, good luck without me." I made a grab for my books and stuffed them in my bag.

"See you, Lils," Lauren bade me. I hurried off, knowing too well that Lauren would not work on anything more without me there.

I stood at the entrance of the Great Hall and looked around, waiting for James to show up. I waited about five minutes before I saw James hurrying down the marble staircase. He was late. I prepared to grit my teeth in effort not to shout at him, as my instinct normally told me. But nothing happened. I didn't even feel angry.

"Hey, Ev—Lily," James said as he approached. He wasn't wearing his school robes, just his dress shirt, black pants, and a loosened tie that hung around his neck. Also, the Head Boy badge. I could see James' muscles clearly defined under his button-up shirt. I hastily looked away and murmured, "Hullo, James." Why do arrogant, cocky gits have to be so darn attractive? It makes it so much harder to hate them.

The parchment we got on the train gave us the route we would take around the castle. There was a map and everything. "How 'bout we have our own route? This one looks a bit confusing," James decided, squinting at the map over his wire rimmed glasses.

"But—" I started. I didn't want to neglect the map, since the route was used every year by every Head.

"But nothing," James cut me off. "Anyways, all the troublemakers will know by now the route of the Heads' and if you want to catch them then you have to go a way they aren't expecting." I bit my lip. He had a good reason, I just didn't want to agree. "Come on. What is the most adventurous thing you've ever done? This is nothing! It's just changing patrolling routes!"

Once again, in that day, James had that hopeful expression on and I started to laugh. He looked like a puppy begging, with his eyes big and his lower lip pouting a little.

"Please?" James pleaded.

I nodded and got control of my laughter. "I guess so."

He jumped up and spun around. "Yes! Now Lily is living on the edge," James shouted in a joking voice. He was acting completely stupid, and it was an extremely lame thing to say, but I couldn't help but smile.

"Come on," I said, repeating what James had said a minute ago. "Let's start towards the astronomy tower and work our way down to the dungeons. Or maybe we should start in the dungeons so we can cover the creepiest part first."

"Good idea. And could we take a stop at the loo on our way?" James said.

"Sure," I said. What else was I supposed to say? _No you can't neglect your duties by using the loo. Shame on you! Despicable! Having to relieve yourself while you're on patrol!_ No, not really. I'd just sound like some annoying prat. Which some people at the school thought I was because I was smart, Head Girl, and _incredibly_ pretty. No, I wasn't cocky. Or was I? Maybe James was starting to rub off on me. I would have to start performing those weird rituals they do in Africa or something to stop the spread of arrogant toerags.

We headed off in peaceful silence until we got to the restroom.

James entered and I said, "I'll just wait here." I leaned against the stone wall, picking at my fingernail absent-mindedly. I was so preoccupied I didn't even notice the approaching Slytherins.

"Hey, Mudblood," Severus Snape, a greasy, black haired, potions freak, spat at me. I mean, literally _spat_ at me. His nasty mucus was all over my face, and I rubbed it off using my robes. He needed to try brushing his teeth sometime in the near future. If he didn't, his wonderful, yellow lemon drops might fall out. Which wouldn't be a horrible fate for old Snivellus, come to think of it. He wouldn't be able to speak very well, and if he tried to say "Mudblood" it might result in more spitting, but he _would_ have to eat food that had been chewed up or applesauce or something soft. He might even refuse to eat it, starving himself. No, not a bad fate at all for the slimeball. "What are you doing out at this time of night? And in the dungeons, of all places. Wouldn't want to get into any trouble, would you?"

I saw the other three Slytherins, Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa and Bellatrix Black, draw their wands from their cloaks. I tried to find my wand inside of my robe's pockets, but it wasn't there. I must have left it in the library with Lauren. What a stupid thing for me to do. Since I didn't have my wand, I tried using words to persuade them away.

"I'm Head Girl," I said, trying to keep the panic from my voice. "And you better put those wands away and go back to your common rooms before I give you a detention!"

"Oooo!" Bella said in a high, baby voice. "Is wittle Mudbwod Evans scawd of big Slytherins' wands? Maybe we should teach you a lesson on how they work."

Lucius raised his wand, pointed it at me, and yelled, "_Crucio!_" Pain filled every nerve in my body as I struggled against the curse. Then, quite suddenly, it stopped. My bones ached from the after effects of the torturing curse.

I looked up shakily to see all four Slytherins unconscious and James standing with his wand out, looking murderous.

"Are you alright?" he asked me, hurrying to my side, helping me up. I just nodded. I was scared and shaking uncontrollably. "No, you're not," James observed. "Let's go to Madam Pomfrey. She'll know what to do."

"No," I said firmly. I didn't want to be babied by Madam Pomfrey. And I certainly didn't want questions asked. Then they would know we went off of our patrolling route and chose our own way. Not that the professors would really care, but I wasn't thinking straight at a time like that. I was bloody tortured, for Christ's sake! "I mean, I'll feel better soon. I'll calm down. It's just the shock…" I shook my head in disbelief. "I didn't think that they would d-dare perform an Unforgivable Curse." Tears started to form in my eyes. I wasn't normally a crier, but I was really upset, if you catch my drift…. "Why is it, just because I'm Muggle-born that the dung piles think they have a right to just walk up to me and then… then…" My voice drifted off. "They are twisted. The lot of them. Let them rot in hell." I slid down the wall and started sobbing into my robes.

James, a little unsure of what to do, sat down beside me and said, "those Slytherins are gits. They think it is funny to do this kind of stuff. I'll never understand it. You're absolutely right. They _are_ twisted. Anyone who would do that is. You're an amazing woman, and don't ever think you're not." I looked up into James' eyes. Those eyes weren't filled with their usual mischief, arrogance, and laughter. They were filled with concern for my wellbeing and something else I couldn't place.

I tried to smile, but my muscles wouldn't let me. With a soft voice I rarely used, I said, "Thank you, James." He grimaced.

"Friends?" he asked, putting out his hand for me to shake. I eyed his hand and thought better of it. I surprised both of us by giving him a friendly hug.

"Friends."


	4. Dumbledore is a Hippie

_Disclaimer (yes, I actually remembered this time!): I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I probably wouldn't be sitting on the computer. I would be out spending my cash._

A/N: Yeah, so my story is really predictable, but I don't really care. Sometimes they are just happy and fun (very predictable stories, that is) to read, as I hope mine is. Michael Gambdon has inspired this chapter. Him and his hippie, uh, clothes. Except they were more hobo in the movie. Eh, well, whatever. Who knows, maybe he (Dumbledore) is a bit wacko because he did pot and stuff in the 60's and was a hippie. Hey, that is a good theory. I could use it in another story. Anyways, enjoy the story, and please review. I hate it when people skip over doing reviews. They only take a second to do. I try to comment on all the stories I read, so if you comment on my story, then I'll see if you have any and I'll review them.

So, after this lecture of giving me reviews (which you may not have read. If you haven't, I suggest reading my rambling so I don't bite your head off), I present to you:

**Chapter 4: Dumbledore is a Hippie**

The next month and a half went on without anymore disturbances from the Slytherins. I would occasionally see them glaring at me from across the classroom, but Lucius, Severus, Narcissa, and Bellatrix didn't dare bother me again.

James and I continued our game as we patrolled Hogwarts. We rarely ever found anyone in the corridors, so it was a good way to pass the time. I found out a lot of random things about James. He had a parakeet named Blue, his favorite color was green, and he had a blanket that he had since he was born. Not that he sleeps with it or anything….

Lauren and I started sitting by the Marauders, after James and I started hanging out. I was surprised to find that he really was a great guy underneath the layers of cocky fluff. I just had to shave him down a bit to see him in his full content. But what _really_ surprised me is that he didn't ask me out. Not once.

At the beginning I was feeling relief, not being badgered to go out with him, but as time went on, I started feeling regret and annoyance. I found that I actually _wanted _him to ask me out. Did he think I was ugly or something? I didn't think that was the case, because, if I do say so myself, I was one attractive seventh year. Oh, there I go again, acting cocky. Just like James did. More rituals for me. I had to start researching those soon.

We—meaning the Marauders, Lauren, and I—were all chatting happily at the dinner table when a bell tinkered at the head table. The room fell silent as everybody turned to look at dear ol' Dumbledore. He was standing there with his silver beard and hair tied back in pony tails. He looked sort of like a hippie. I stifled a giggle as this thought crossed my mind, then got back to listening to what Dumbledore had to say.

He smiled at all the happy students and said, "I have an announcement to make. There will be a Halloween dance and Valentine's dance this year!" Chatter of excited girls went through the great hall at this comment. I really had no idea why Dumbledore was having these dances when we have never had one before. Must have had something to do with the new hippie attire.

When the squeals and talks died down a bit, Dumbledore continued. "For the Halloween dance, you must wear a costume. We have decided that we will uphold the Muggle tradition of dressing up. For the Valentine's dance you must bring a partner if you choose to attend. All years of students are allowed to attend the Halloween dance, and only fourth years and above may go to the Valentine's dance. If an older student asks you to go with them to the Valentine's dance and you are third year and below, you may go with them. The staff will hire a dance committee of students to plan the balls. The sign up sheets are on the bulletin boards in your house common rooms. I hope you all enjoy these dances! That is all."

Dumbledore sat back down, and soon everyone was just blabbing away.

"Dances…" Lauren said, smiling. "Dumbledore must be feeling awfully young this year! We've never had anything like this in the past, have we?" Lauren was talking to herself, so I decided not to answer to this. "Who do you wanna go with to the Halloween dance?" Lauren directed the question at me suddenly, catching me off guard.

"Oh…" I said stupidly, thinking of an answer without the truth included. I knew _exactly_ who I wanted to go with. I just wasn't ready to admit it out loud. If it was out in the open, it would somehow be official, and I would _have_ to go with him. Either that, or be completely embarrassed if he refused to go with me. Lauren's response wouldn't help either. She would laugh and say, "Ha! I just knew it!" She would think it was hysterical. It kind of was, come to think of it. Just imagine, me and—

"Lily?" Lauren waved a hand in front of my face. "Lils…?" Lauren tried again. "So… who?" Lauren asked, as I blinked out of my thoughts.

"To the Halloween dance?" I said slowly. Lauren nodded. "Um… no one in particular. I mean, we don't even have to have dates, do we?" I avoided the real answer. I blew out a breath. We stood up as the benches scraped back. "Who do you want to go with?"

Lauren shrugged. "Maybe some Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw like Spencer McCane. I have decided I will not date any Gryffindors this year." We approached the marble staircase in the entrance hall. "Too much tension when we break up. I mean, if the relationship doesn't last, we'll have to see each other almost every day in classes and at breakfast."

I nodded. That's how Lauren was. She would date somebody for a month or two, get bored, and then break up with them. She could never stay committed to a relationship. I wasn't much better. I barely even _had_ a love life. I went on a few dates with people to Hogsmeade, but I never had a boyfriend. It didn't bother me much, though. I liked being single.

"I have homework to finish, and then I have patrols. Want to come to the library with me?" I asked Lauren.

"You study and work _way_ too much, Hun," Lauren said, shaking her head. "Anyways, even if I wanted to study, I have to practice a new Quidditch move that I don't have down yet. So I am going to be outside. See you, Lily."

I shrugged my shoulders and started off towards the library while saying, "Yeah, see you."

While I was trudging towards the library, I saw James, Peter, Remus, and Sirius across the entrance hall. Sirius nudged James when he saw me, Sirius with a smirk on his face, and James waved frantically at me. I laughed at their odd behavior and waved back. Boys could be strange sometimes.

Thoughts of the Marauders filled my head as spread out my work on a library table. I started out on my potions essay that was due that Friday. As I was finishing the last sentence (which took about twenty minutes to get there), I saw James approaching.

I smiled up at him cheerfully and said, "Hey!"

I could tell he was trying to smile back, but it turned into a grimace. He looked all flustered and nervous, not his usual, confident self.

"Are you all right, James?" I asked eyeing him. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," he replied, a little too quickly. I opened my mouth to say, "Are you sure?" but he cut me off. "I have a question to ask you."

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow. Was he going to ask me to the Halloween dance? 'Please, please be that,' I thought. Over the past month of school, I had been forming a little crush over the boy I patrol with.

I was smiling jovially at him. James stuttered as he said, "Do you… do you mind if I borrow a quill?" My smile wiped off my face like stink sap.

"Oh… sure," I said in a flat voice. I bent down to look in my bag for a quill. Out of the corner of my eye I saw James mouth, "Shit."

I handed James my quill with a dry expression on my face. He took the quill somewhat reluctantly. I saw him having a silent debate with himself in his head, making him look _quite_ funny. I giggled slightly and he looked down at me.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Nothing," I assured him. I glanced down at my watch. "It's time for patrols." I stowed my books in my bag and rolled up my freshly finished essay then stored it in with my books.

We walked out of the library, things awkward, and tension lingered in the air as thick as custard. We took out on our normal route. Near the end, when we got to the astronomy tower, James held me back as I turned to leave.

"Yes?" I asked, wondering what he wanted.

He grabbed my hand, shoved the quill I had given into it, and closed my fingers around it. Moonlight covered him, releasing half his body from the quiet darkness. He was pale and looked nervous again.

"I didn't mean to ask for a quill earlier," James said, looking seriously at my face. Hope started pouring out of some faucet inside of me. "Would you like to go to the Halloween dance with me?" He looked away and dropped my hand as he went from white to red as fast as a light switch. I smiled widely as he stuttered, "It's okay if you don't want to… I mean we could just go as friends or—"

"Alright," I interrupted, taking his hand again. He looked back down at me in shock and happy surprise.

"Really?" he asked. I was afraid he was going to pee himself out of his excitement and obvious joy.

"Really," I told him. "Not as friends, if you prefer that," I added, answering his unasked question. James put on a smile so big, his face was about to rip in half.

It was my turn to be surprised when he twirled me around and shouted to the night sky and me, "Thank you, Lily Evans!"

I laughed and pulled on his hand. "Come on. Let's go back to the common room."

"Anything you want!" James then proceeded to pull me down the stairs of the astronomy tower, me laughing the whole way.

There was something about James that made me feel like I could do anything. Like I was something spectacular and grand. This made me feel wonderful and happy in so many ways. It was a hard feeling to describe. Maybe like I was floating on clouds high above— frightening, but an exciting and thrilling experience. The feeling of being loved, perhaps?


	5. Butterflies

**After a year of not updating, I finally decided to add another chapter. I just hope all the fluff I added won't make you gag. Ici est le chapter cinq! (--that's wrong French just so ya know)**

_Chapter 5: Butterflies_

Over breakfast the next morning, I told Lauren how James had asked me to the Halloween dance.

"I was wondering when he would," Lauren told Lily. "Ask you out, I mean."

Lauren reached for a piece of toast as the sound of something crashing to the ground cut her short in mid-reach. Somebody behind us asked, "Who asked you out, Lily?" Lauren and I turned around to face Resa Graham picking up books she had dropped.

"Erm…," I started awkwardly, but Lauren cut me off. That girl, I swear….

"James Potter," Lauren told Resa proudly. I did not think Lauren had a real soft spot for Graham. Resa stood up, books in her arms and eyes wide.

"Really?" Resa asked, intrigued. "What did you say?" The last part sounded like a command.

"Oh… um, I said 'yes'," I answered her hesitantly, afraid of how Resa would react. She absolutely _fawned_ over James Potter, and I didn't want an enemy. Not like I didn't have any. Just not with any Ravenclaws.

"I thought you hated him," said Resa, still in that same, commanding tone.

"Not anymore," I said. "He has changed a lot from last year." This was true. And, after all, he had matured _so_ much since she had seen him on the last day of school of sixth year. I probably wouldn't have said yes if we did not have head duties together. Doing patrols with him let me get to know him a lot better. If I had heard in sixth year that I was going with James Potter to the Halloween ball, I would have laughed out loud. It was ridiculous.

"Oh," was all Resa had to say. Then she stomped off in a huff, not giving us a second glance.

"Well, she's pissed," I observed, though there was no reason to say that.

"Way to point out the obvious, Hun," Lauren said as we watched Resa's short hair vanish from sight out of the Great Hall doors.

I sighed and stood up. "We have potions," I told Lauren. "Let's go, I don't want to be late."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Slughorn will not even care if you are late. He absolutely _loves _you!"

"Well, then, let us get there on time for your sake," I joked as we headed off to class.

It was the night of the Halloween ball, and Lauren and I were upstairs in the girls' dormitories getting ready. I decided to get ready in there so Lauren and I could help each other.

I went as a princess with a long, emerald dress with an emerald, silk ribbon around my middle. The dress also had silk cuffs on the sleeves. I have a silver tiara and a silver chained necklace. The costume was simple, but elegant and efficient for the part.

Lauren went as a fifties girl, with her hair in a big up-do. She had a pink poodle skirt on and a white polo with the letter 'L' embedded on the upper-right hand corner in silver gems. She looked stunning, as usual.

When we finished making the final touches on ourselves – a pinch of eyeliner – a spray of perfume – we headed down the stairs to meet our dates.

James was waiting in the Gryffindor common room, while Lauren headed off through the portrait hole to meet her date – some sixth year Hufflepuff.

James was, funnily enough, considering my costume, a prince. He had a white and blue outfit with gold buttons and cuffs. His untidy black hair was wet, while comb marks could be seen through it. It was obvious that he tried to tame his hair, but he also obviously failed. He looked slightly nervous as he stood there by the sofa, fidgeting with his sleeves and patting down his hair.

When he looked up and saw me coming towards him, he straightened up his posture and placed one arm behind his back, the other folded up across his stomach. He was so handsome. As our eyes met, I nearly had a cardiac arrest. And, as unromantic as that sounds, it _was._

I saw his breath hitch a little, but he didn't drop his amber gaze. If anything, it was like he was scrutinizing every inch of my face, looking for… _something._

When I was a foot away from him, I stopped.

"You look…," it came out as nearly a whisper, and James seemed to struggle for an appropriate word to describe how I looked. In the end, he settled on three. "… more than beautiful."

I blushed and blinked away from his gaze. I was not accustomed to flattery like this.

James, sensing my embarrassment, guided his hand towards the portrait hole. "Shall we?"

I smiled and looped my arm through his gently. "We shall."

We made our way through the great castle, just enjoying each others' presence while we walked in silence. When we finally made it to the Great Hall, we entered arm in arm.

Flashing lights were everywhere – _I hope no one in Hogwarts has epilepsy,_ I thought fleetingly. The hall was decked out in decorations, courtesy of the House Elves. Confetti littered the tables, loud music was playing from some band I did not recognize, and lit pumpkins and candles hovered high above our heads. Cobwebs lined the dance floor, where people were already dancing, taking up half the hall. There were also lots of small, round tables, rather than four long ones.

I had planned the party decorations with James, being the Heads, but seeing them displayed and shown like this was really something.

"Wow," I said breathlessly, looking the room over again.

James smiled down at me, and turned to me so I was facing him. "Would a fine lady such as you care to dance with a poor, lonely, depressed, handsome, and ravishing man such as myself?" He stood up a little straighter and offered a hand.

I giggled. "Well, I'm not sure about handsome or ravishing," I started jokingly, even though he was definitely both of those things, "but, yes, kind sir. I would love to dance with you." I took his hand, and he led me to the center of the dance floor.

As soon as we made it to our spots, the song ended and a much slower one started up. James took my waist as I put my arms around his neck. We swayed a little awkwardly at first, but soon got used to it. Somehow I kept getting moved closer and closer to James until my head was resting on his shoulder. It was a very pleasant feeling. I closed my eyes as we peacefully swayed and twirled to the gentle rhythm of the music.

When the song finally ended, we both did not notice, but continued swaying until someone accidentally ran into us. I lifted my head up and looked around.

"Do you want to get something to eat now?" I asked James.

James smiled down at me. I melted involuntarily inside. "Alright, Lily." The way he said my name seemed so perfect coming off of his lips. It was like velvet. His voice was velvet. Actually, practically everything about James at the moment seemed like velvet.

He took my hand, and we walked to one of the round tables that Sirius was already sitting at with his date, a Hufflepuff named Ali Schlem. Go figure that he would already be eating.

As we joined them and ate our food, others came and sat with us, too. Peter, who came alone, Remus, who came with a Gryffindor sixth year, and Lauren along with Chad Cunningham, a tall, handsome boy, who turned out to be her date.

"How is your date going," Lauren hissed at me when everyone else was involved in a conversation.

I smiled widely, "Really good. You?"

I was surprised to see Lauren's face twist into something painful. "Not so good. He is about as exciting as a brick wall."

"Well brick walls _can_ be fascinating at times. Lots of grains of sandy, red stuff and—" Lauren cut me off by smacking me playfully on the arm.

"Speak for yourself," Lauren said.

After dinner, James and I went off to the dance floor to dance some more. After quite enough dancing, it was late. James and I decided to get some fresh air. I was burning.

We walked outside to the cool, night air. It was a clear night, and the stars were shining above. James and I were holding hands sweetly as we headed towards a private clove of trees on the opposite side of the lake. I would not have known it was there if James had not shown me. The trees were in a perfect circle, but the lake was still clearly visible. The water was reflecting all the stars and the half moon. I felt like I was in a romance movie.

James lay on his back in the center of the trees and stared at the sky, letting go of my hand in the process. I lay on my back beside him. I had a powerful urge to snatch his hand back up into mine. I resisted, hesitant because of nerves.

"James," I asked, my voice cautious to my own ears.

"Hmm?" James asked lazily, clearly at peace.

I sat up and looked down at him. "Thanks." It was a simple phrase. But it described what I had thought of this night. The night deserved a thanks.

James also sat up and looked at me, confused. "What for?"

I smiled softly. "The fabulous time I had. It was because of you."

James gave his adoring smiled back. I, yet again, melted. How did he do that? "I seriously doubt that. Your presence was enough to make it fabulous."

Unconsciously doing it, I leaned forward. James leaned in the rest of the way, and our lips brushed. Cautiously. Butterflies had filled my stomach but in a very good way. A shiver ran down my spine as I placed my lips back on his with more confidence. Our lips had met fully. We started clumsily exploring the kiss. Moving our lips against one another. I was new at this. I was not one of those girls who had gotten kissed often. And if I did, it was short and chaste. James had told me that he had never done anything like this on one of our patrols, either. I forget how we even had gotten to that topic of conversation while we walked the halls. The thought made me feel happy.

The feeling of his lips against mine became too much, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, sinking into him. His kiss was slow and sweet, so unlike what I thought it would be, but at the same time _right_.

If I thought I was having cardiac arrest earlier, it was nothing to what was happening in my chest as I slowly pulled away from him. Our noses brushed, and our arms were still wrapped around each other. We were both breathing rather hard. I closed my eyes when James cupped my cheek with his hand.

"Lily…" he whispered with so much emotion my heart jolt suddenly.

"Oh, James," I moaned quietly back. James kissed my forehead and we lay back on the grass, tangled up with each other, staring at the sky, but not really seeing it. We were too busy reliving what just happened. And it was there, embraced in the secret nook under the stars, that we fell asleep.

**Inspiration to add this chapter really just came about. I still have about 100 more pages in my notebook to type up on here, so I will update again. Review!!!**


	6. Dangerous, Dirty, and Disgusting

I awoke the next morning to the birds tweeting. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a blur of white. I sat up and saw a breathing body beneath me. James.

I grinned, giddy. Last night was absolutely _amazing_. It felt like a fairytale – like it was not even my life. I was floating on clouds. I looked around. It was morning, I realized; probably only five-thirty. We had stayed out the entire night. Even though I knew we would get in trouble, I couldn't bring myself to care. I was too happy.

I shook James gently, calling his name when he didn't respond at first. He began to stir. His eyes sprang open. He saw me and he sat up quickly. "Lily!" he exclaimed. "Wha –" a look of comprehension dawned on his face. "Did we fall asleep?"

I smiled lightly, not too worried. "Yeah." I stood up to my feet, pausing a moment because all I was seeing was gray. When the feeling passed, I offered James one of my hands. He took it and stood up.

"James…" I started, "about last night…" I trailed off, unsure of how to broach the subject of the kiss.

"Yeah, last night…," James also trailed off, bringing up his hand towards his hair, but quickly snatching it back down before it reached its target. I hid a grin.

There was a pause, and then we started walking around the lake, hand in hand.

"Lily?" James asked. I looked at him to show I was listening, but he was staring at his shoes. He continued even though I did not say anything. "Does this mean we're a couple now?" He flushed. I was flattered. He was flustered over _me._

I smiled, but flushed a little at his question. "Yeah, I guess it does." James finally looked at me, grinning as if he had just won a million galleons.

His smile faltered slightly, as if a thought had just crossed his mind. He opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it.

"What?" I asked, truly curious to what he was about to say.

James shook his head. "S'nothing," he mumbled, looking back at his shoes.

I prodded him with my elbow slightly. "Please tell me," I pleaded.

He looked at me, his face bright red, a hesitant look on his face. "I was wondering if… youwouldletmekissyou?" The last words came out rushed and hurried, but I understood them anyways. We stopped walking. We were at an entrance to the castle now. The doors were open to the entrance hall.

I let my mouth curve upwards. "Yes, you may."

James nodded, his head barely moving. He leaned into me ever so carefully, as if giving me time to stop him. Our lips were a breath away from each other, and –

"Potter, Evans!" Professor McGonagall barked at us sharply. We sprang apart quickly, equally guilty looks on our faces. _Well, maybe I care a _little_ bit if we get in trouble_, I thought as McGonagall's nostrils flared dangerously. "What are you doing out at this time of –" she stopped her rant abruptly. She must have seen our costume attire, or maybe my smudged makeup and our mussed hair.

Her lips thinned, and she said in a flustered, but hard voice, "Since you have never gotten in trouble, Miss Evans, I will let this one slide." She seemed to struggle for words for a moment. "But if I _ever_ catch you again out all night, you will see to detention! Ten points from Gryffindor! Each." She promptly walked away, forgetting to mention that James _had_ gotten in much trouble before this year.

James and I broke out into giggles as soon as she turned the corner. "Did you see her face?" James asked, still laughing. I nodded, grinning. "Let's get back to our dorms before someone else like Filch finds us." He grabbed my hand, intending to pull me back to our dorms, but I pulled him back. Acting on impulse, I released his hand from mine, placed my hands on either side of his face, pulled his head towards mine, and pressed my lips firmly against his.

I grinned as I released him from the kiss. He looked dazed and confused but happy nevertheless. "Yeah, let's go," I said, trying to sound nonchalant, but it sounded more breathy than anything. _I can't believe I just did that._

We walked back to our common room, giving each other secret glances along the way. When we caught the other staring, we smiled and blushed and looked away. When we arrived we threw ourselves back onto the sofa. I leaned into James and sighed. Everything was perfect at that very moment. He stroked my hair gently for what seemed forever, but it was probably, in actuality, only a few minutes, before I pulled away.

"I need to get dressed," I told him. Neither of us moved to get up.

"Okay," James answered. Finally, he sighed and gently pushed us up off the sofa. He squeezed my hand before releasing it, giving me a shy smile as we made our way into our respective rooms to get ready for the day.

After I finished taking a shower and getting ready for the day, I came back into the common room to find James reading a book. After closer investigation, I saw that James' eyes weren't even moving; he had a kind of glazed over look in them. I smiled deviously and walked behind the armchair he was in as quietly as possible. I leaned over the back of it casually, looking at the book he was reading. He was still on the first page.

"Good book?" I asked suddenly. He jumped about twenty feet high toppling out of the chair in the process and onto the carpet. Pay no attention to the fact the ceiling is only ten feet up.

I laughed as James grumbled, picking himself up. "You can't scare a man like that! I could have been seriously injured!"

"Paper cut?" I quipped, grinning like the Cheshire cat. He tried to glare at me, but it proved to be unsuccessful; I just laughed harder.

---

We left the statue of Ava the Average behind us as we left for breakfast. James was still a little sullen about the making-him-jump-out-of-the-chair thing, but he was coping. Murmurs spread as we sat down at our usual spots at the Gryffindor table. No idea why. It could just be the fact that we were holding hands.

Lauren and Sirius were already there. "Whaddi?" Sirius asked, food flying from his overstuffed mouth. _What did he say?_ Apparently James knew.

"What's what?" he asked innocently. _Hah. Innocent._

"Dih!" Sirius yelled, more food flying from his mouth.

Lauren pulled a face. "Uck, Black. Swallow before speaking. And you don't need so much in your mouth. It's absolutely disgusting to watch you eat."

Sirius finally swallowed. "So don't watch," he retorted. He turned back to Lily and James, who had already helped themselves to some cereal. "And 'what's what?' you ask, Prongs, m'boy? This! You two. Holding hands. Being the three D's."

"The three D's?"

"Dangerous, dirty, and disgusting. Duh."

Lauren threw Sirius an annoyed look. "I would go with a more eloquent description, but, yes, I'm wondering the same thing."

James and I looked at each other. But, before one of us could answer, Sirius cut in _eloquently_ again. "Bet you _snagged_ her _silly_, eh, Prongs?" He raised his eyebrows and smiled suggestively at me, but Lauren smacked Sirius on the arm, wiping the smirk off his face. _He's so rude! _I looked over at James to find his face bright red.

"You are so _rude_!" she screeched at Sirius.

Sirius was undeterred and argued back. "Hey! I just get straight to the point of this conversation! There is no need to skirt around all the small talk." He rubbed his arm, acting wounded. But I suppose Lauren _could_ hit hard. Lauren rolled her eyes.

Their arguing continued all through breakfast, Sirius's retorts even ruder than the ones before. Neither James nor I did answer the question they asked in the first place.

**A/N: **I don't really have an excuse that I am horrible at updating besides marching band and school. I DO have most (well, like half, maybe) of my story written, just not typed and editted (aah... i think i spelled that wrong). Keep in mind that I wrote this when I was 12, almost 3 years ago, so it kind of sucks balls compared to my other writing. It has no plot as of yet so I need to figure one out soon.

Review, please :)

It would make me happy.


	7. Soapy Water Slaughter

When we entered the transfiguration classroom after breakfast, Sirius and Lauren were still bickering. Not wanting to go near a disgruntled Lauren, I sat next to James.

Professor McGonagall stood at the front of the room, eyes sweeping over the class. Her eyes stayed a fraction of a second longer on me and James than everyone else. We grinned at each other in knowing then focused our attention back onto McGonagall.

"Today we will be reviewing for the test tomorrow," McGonagall informed us, wasting no time. "I will divide you all into groups of four, and you will come up with a chart of all the important things you will need to know on the test in _detailed_ explanations." Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "And now, for the groups."

She pulled out a bag from a drawer in her desk. This bag contained a bunch of different numbers that stood for all the seats in the room. One person would draw three numbers at a time or however many would be in the group at that given time. I was sitting in seat number nine.

The first person to draw was Peter Pettigrew. In his squeaky voice, he read out, "Thirteen, seven, and eight." I let out a breath I was holding. I didn't want to be in Peter's group. He wasn't the brightest crayon in the box. He normally just sat back and let others do the work for him. I would want to be in a group with Remus Lupin or Alice Whiteman. They wouldn't slack off and make me do all the work.

A few other people went through numbers, none of which was mine, until it got to Eunice Fugsworth. I always kind of pitied her. I mean to have a name like _Eunice Fugsworth_. It would make anyone suicidal.

Fugsworth drew a few numbers. "Seventeen, ten-" James was ten "-and nine." I grinned at James, but Fugsworth went on. "Woops, I mean six, not nine." My smile vanished, and I looked around the room to see who was left for the last group. Sirius Black, what a joy, Marty Ballard, and Lionel Neel.

I mean, it wasn't _that_ bad of a group to be in; I shared a dorm with Marty. I never really became her good friend, but she was nice and smart nonetheless. Lionel was in Ravenclaw. He was a bit stuck up sometimes but he was a diligent worker.

Ah, and Sirius… well, he just wasn't very serious I guess. When I approached my group, I saw him "visually flirting" per se with Cassandra Jones, a giggly Ravenclaw a few tables away. I really don't have any idea how she got into Ravenclaw; she was dafter than an air duct.

So, all through the lesson, Marty, Lionel, and I worked on the poster, creating a total list of eighty-two items that would be on the test, while Sirius made kissy faces over at Queen My-Head-Is-Like-A-Balloon-Full-Of-Air.

I caught Marty looking over at Sirius flirting. She shuddered. "I feel so dirty."

I nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean."

When we left at the end of the lesson, after turning in our enormous chart, I punched Sirius on the opposite arm of which Lauren injured this morning.

"Ow…," Sirius moaned, now rubbing just beneath his shoulder. "_Evans_, you and Piducci need anger management or something… so violent." For that, I decided to encourage his point by smacking him upside the head. Rather hard, I might add.

"Aw, poor Sirius," I said and stalked off towards Lauren and looped her arm through mine. Sirius just glared after us, rubbing the swollen bump that was swelling on his head. I heard James laughing at him behind us.

As we walked to our next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Remus caught up to us.

"Lily, I have a note for you," he said, holding out a piece of folded parchment. I took it and opened it. "I think it is about how you missed the Prefect's meeting this morning. It's from McGonagall." I almost smacked myself.

"How could I have forgotten? I mean I was just…" I stopped talking abruptly, turning a nice hue of pink.

"You were what?" Lauren asked, smirking at me.

"Nothing," I said, turning a shade darker. I was certainly not telling her what I was doing while Remus was standing right there.

Remus, sensing that I was uncomfortable, asked quickly, "So, what does it say?"

"Oh, uh…

_Dear Miss Evans,_

_I was displeased to discover that you did not show up for the prefects meeting earlier this morning. As a Head Girl, the school depends on you to be on time and ready. You will receive a detention for your absence. If you continue to miss important meetings such as these, we will need to have a discussion to see if you really want to remain in your position. Meet me in my office tomorrow evening at 7 o'clock sharp to serve your detention._

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_"

I frowned and passed the note to Remus and Lauren for further inspection.

"_Detention_?" Lauren asked, exasperated. "For missing one measly prefect's meeting?" I nodded glumly as we entered Professor Draw's class.

---

At dinner, James and I compared the notes we both got from McGonagall.

"Well, at least I won't be alone in detention," James said reasonably. "I get to spend it with you!"

I frowned mockingly. "Oh, yuck, a whole evening spent with _you_."

James tickled my sides playfully. "Hey!"

---

So at ten before seven, just after dinner, James and I bade goodbye to the Marauders and Lauren.

When we entered the room, McGonagall was levitating down two buckets to the stony floor, each filled with soapy water and a sponge.

The formidable teacher looked up when she heard us. She gave us a stern look and said, "I atke it you both know why you're here." We nodded. "For your detention you will be cleaning my room with soap and water. No magic whatsoever is allowed." James screwed up his face in agony. But I guess it could be worse.

Filch could be breathing down our necks, on the ready to hang us by our toenails in his office. Or we could be giving Miss Norris a bath. Pretty scary thought, I should think.

"… I will check your progress in two hours. There will be no need for you to patrol tonight. I have a few Slytherin prefects doing it instead." And with that, McGonagall strode briskly out of the room.

We stood in silence for a moment until I said, "We better get started."

James sighed. "I guess so. I've cleaned so many times during detention, I surprised this school has anything left to clean."

Deciding to get it over with, I plunged my hand into the hot water and groped around for the sponge. James followed suit. We started cleaning and chattering happily about unimportant things. Well, as happily as you could as you sat on the floor of a dirty classroom cleaning.

James was very interested when I told him about a drive-in movie I went to ("You mean you go in one of those metal contraptions and just sit and watch a screen for _two hours_?").

There was a pause and I glanced at my watch; we still had twenty-three minutes!

Suddenly, I felt something wet collide with the side of my face. I turned around to see James, sponge and bucket in hand. He had a mischievous gleam in his eye.

Slowly, I grinned, realizing what he was doing. I grabbed my own bucket and let the sponge I was holding absorb some water. Then I aimed the water in the sponge as best as one can with a sponge at James. It hit its target. And thus, the soapy water slaughter began. We would dive behind desks and maneuver ourselves around quickly to avoid getting splashed, but, still, we both ended up completely soaked.

As I chased after James, he slipped and slid backwards off his feet, running into my legs, causing me to topple right on top of James.

We lay there for a moment laughing until James captured my mouth in a soapy kiss. So wrapped up in each other, we didn't even notice McGonagall enter.

Not until she barked, "Miss Evans! Mr. Potter!" did we notice her. I jumped up immediately, blushing to the roots of my hair. The second time in two days. Damn, woman.

"This room in _drenched_ with water! You will spend the next hour drying this place up! Miss Evans, take the right side! Mr. Potter, take the left! When I come back I expect this place to be clean and dry, and I hope not to find you in such and _unfavorable_ position!" She gave us a strict glare and once more, turned on her heel and left.

James and I looked at each other shyly, the burst out laughing. We set to work on drying the classroom, this time neither one of us talked, but reliving what had just happened. I grinned.

---

**Author's Note:** Uh, here's my present to you. TWO UPDATES in TWO DAYS. It's a new record. For me, anyways haha. I don't know when the next update will be, but I will update! Hope you find it in yourself to leave a review for a poor, helpless person such as myself.


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